


Whakaora (Healing)

by Mystic_Shadows



Series: Konagona [5]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I promise, Past Mind Control, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, the ending will be happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28844823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Shadows/pseuds/Mystic_Shadows
Summary: Mermista is still recovering. But this Voice makes it harder. And why can't she connect to the Pearl?
Relationships: Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra)
Series: Konagona [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043466
Comments: 16
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Mermista stops in the doorway as she eyes her desk. Lying in the middle of the desk is a bright pink envelope. She circles it, on alert. The mail had just been delivered a few days ago, and she wasn't expecting anything new for a few more days, and she knows the envelope wasn't there when she left yesterday.

Picking it up, she flips it over and sees the official Bright Moon seal. Mermista stares at the envelope as she struggles with her feelings. Glimmer had stopped calling her, which she felt relief for, but it also hurt. And she doesn't understand why it hurts, she didn't want to talk to Glimmer or anything, so it shouldn't hurt. 

Mermista opens the envelope and something small and black falls out, with a piece of paper.

"Sorry" is written on it in Glimmers' handwriting.

She turns the letter over, checking to see if there's anything else written. Nothing. 

She glances at the black item, noting it's a memory stick. She's wary….what's on the stick that made Glimmer apologize? Setting it aside for the time being, she heads back to the bedroom to check on Sea Hawk. 

Sea Hawk had decided to stay in bed that day. Turns out being kidnapped again and breathing in smoke had resulted in problems. They had tried to take care of the rope burns- Sea Hawk had a supply of aloe, which helped. Mermista cracks the door open, peering in at Sea Hawk. "Hey." She quietly calls. If he's asleep, she'll leave him alone.

"H..hey, Dearest." Sea Hawk rasps out, wincing as his throat burns, devolving into a coughing fit. He grabs the water nearby, taking small sips.

Mermista crosses the room, sitting on the bed. "I was going to ask how you're feeling, but I think you just answered that. I still think you should see a Healer about it."

Sea Hawk shakes his head. "Just ne..need rest. Not the first time."

"That doesn't make it better, Sea Hawk!" 

"I'll be fine, Dearest. Promise." Sea Hawk smiles at her. Mermista glances back at the door, then lays down next to Sea Hawk. "Everything ok with you?" 

Mermista lets out a hum. "Glimmer sent me a weird letter. And, like, a memory stick thing." Sea Hawk lets out a questioning him. "I don't know if I'll watch it or not, it's just weird. Why would she send me something like that, especially since she hasn't contacted me in weeks?"

"Thought you didn't want her to." 

"I don't! It doesn't matter to me that she went from calling every day to complete silence." Mermista looks away. Sea Hawk nods, making a note to follow up later. Mermista speaks up again. "I know it's been awhile, but I'm thinking about having everyone in Salineas have a therapy appointment. Like, they did go through something big. Losing their home and Etheria breaking apart and everything." Sea Hawk cocks his head. "They wouldn't be forced or anything, just. That first appointment. Might help them." 

"You?" Sea Hawk asks. 

"I mean, it...if they needed a push or something. But I... hadn't thought about it. Although talking to Spinnerella helped, I don't…" Mermista should have expected the question. Her hand reaches up towards her neck before falling. Sea Hawk nods, pulling her closer. "It probably wouldn't be fair if I forced them to do something I wouldn't do."

Mermista expects to hear the Voice speak at this, saying something about opening up to more people who won't care. She's surprised when it doesn't come. "It's not..it's just something I've been thinking about."

"Up to you, but…" Sea Hawk needs to tread carefully. "If you think it would help others that have gone through the same thing as you, losing their home and fighting in the War, wouldn't it help you, too?" 


	2. Chapter 2

Mermista waits until Sea Hawk falls asleep before slipping out of the bed and making her way to her pool. Sea Hawk had been so happy about her being able to use her powers, the problem was...she hadn't used her powers. She had been in the backseat while it happened, feeling like...she wasn't in control. And she wants to take it back. 

The Voice had been quiet all day, and Mermista thinks this is the perfect time to try to practice her powers. Maybe it was a fluke, last time. Mermista sits by the pool, and closing her eyes, takes a couple of deep breaths. _Please_ , she thinks, _work. This has to work._

Mermista opens her eyes, looking at the water and she reaches out a hand, Calling it to her. The water stays still and Mermista tries again and again, the water never moving. She drops her hand, looking down into the water. She closes her eyes as her vision blurs. The last time she had used her powers, that Voice had been there. Maybe...

_Voice? Are you there?_ No response. _Voice?_

She swipes at her eyes, getting up and heading back to Sea Hawk. She wonders, the thought on the edge of her mind: did the Voice abandon her, too? 

Domum can hear Mermista call for them, but is unable to respond. They're trying to find the other voice, the one that had assaulted them after their talk with Mermista. They want, need, to protect her. They stay in their Chosens' form, their eyes green and they survey the mindscape of Mermista. The areas closest to them are green, with the rest being a teal color. There's a castle in front of them and Domum looks down, taking a step into the teal area...and retreating as they're lightly shocked. Their eyes narrow and they start forcing their way forward.

Mermista groans as she wakes up. Her head is pounding and as she opens her eyes, the light hurts and she closes her eyes again. She frowns as she tries to curl up deeper under the covers, going back to bed. 

Sea Hawk shakes Mermista gently. They had a meeting with Scorpia and Perfuma that they couldn't miss. "Misty." He looks at her barely opened eyes. "You've got a meeting with Scorpia and Perfuma, remember?" Mermista sits up, one hand on the back of her neck and Sea Hawk lifts his hand to her head to check her temperature. "You feel warm." He notes. 

Mermista nods, but stands up. "Yeah, but I'm.. not skipping out on a meeting just because I don't feel...just because."

Sea Hawk hides his shock. Mermista has never, in all the years he's known her, never admitted to feeling unwell or sick. "Are you sure? I'm sure they'd rather you rest if you're…" _avoid the word, avoid it._ "If you're not feeling well." 

"Positive." She almost growls. "They'll know I won't forget them." She goes and gets ready, Sea Hawk staring after her. 

Sea Hawk shakes his head, and keeping an ear out for Mermista, calls Scorpia. "Hey, Scorpia. Heads up, Misty isn't feeling well. We're still coming, but try not to direct attention to it." Noticing Perfuma standing next to her, he adds, "Could you try to have some type of healing tea or something?" Perfuma voices her agreement and Sea Hawk hangs up as Mermista comes out of the bathroom. She motions to the tablet, raising an eyebrow. "It was Scorpia and Perfuma, just checking in." 

Mermista squints at him, but doesn't argue. Rubbing her head, she starts heading towards the door. "You're steering the boat." Her voice is dragging and Sea Hawk nods, hurrying behind her. He's more concerned now: he normally has to convince her to let him drive.

During the ride there, Mermista falls back asleep. Her dreams are filled with green and blue and the sensation of wrongness. She wakes up at their destination, Plumeria, more tired than before. 


	3. Chapter 3

Mermista wakes to hissing and yelling the next morning. Stumbling out of the cabin, she spies Sea Hawks' red bandana and heads over to him. "What's going on?" She mumbles, hand pressing against her head.

Sea Hawk glances at her. "Ah, turns out that the Alliance has decided to switch meeting places."

"Ok, and?"

"The meeting is tonight.* Sea Hawk watches her. "And everyone... and their others are here." He's trying not to say their names, he doesn't want Mermista mad, especially today. He eyes her swaying. "Misty, maybe we should go back to bed. I could use more sleep." He yawns.

"Getting old there." Mermista mumbles, leaning against him. "Y'know, Plumeria has, like, a million Healers. Get your lungs checked."

"Only if you see one too, dearest." Sea Hawk says. Mermista makes a face as she goes to stumble back into the cabin. She stops as dark red fills her vision and she tenses. Sea Hawk light rests his hands on her shoulders. Mermista knows who's standing in front of her and really doesn't want to do this, with her head pounding.

"Hi, Mermista." Catras' voice is timid. "I... wanted to apologize for destroying Salineas. I can't say I didn't mean to, but I am sorry for doing it." 

Mermista stares at her. Catra led the attack in her home, destroying it and Mermista is tempted to hurt her. The image of Catra under green water rises in her mind Mermista shakes her head and sighs. "Whatever." Mermista heads into the cabin, Sea Hawk and Catra staring after her.

"Umm. I was expecting that to go very differently." Catra voices.

"What did you expect?" Sea Hawk asks. He knows if Mermista had been feeling well, there would have been yelling.

"I'm not entirely sure. Yelling at me, punches, threats of drowning? Y'know, the usual stuff." 

"Hmm. She's probably just going to ignore you today. See you later." Sea Hawk heads into the cabin to check on her. Mermista is curled up under the blankets and her eyes peek out as Sea Hawk nears her. He rests a hand on her head. 

"Misty, you're burning up!" Sea Hawk almost shouts. 

"Shhh. You're being too loud." Mermista winces, snuggling deeper into the blankets. 

"Mermista, you're sick." Mermista grumbles in response. "Mermista, you're burning up, with how often you've been pressing against your head, I'm willing to bet you've had a headache all day. You're sick. You need to see a Healer." He notices the quiet and looks at Mermista. Her eyes are closed, she's asleep. He frowns, watching her for a few minutes, then settles down by the door. He's not going to leave her alone like this, vulnerable. And with Glimmer and Catra outside, the two people Mermista is most upset at, he needs to protect his Princess.

Domum rests at the edge of their territory, covered in scratches and bruises. They look around, seeing that the green now covers a quarter of the mindscape. They wince, covering their ears as the other voice booms, "You don't belong here. Leave. You don't belong here. Leave." It repeats again and again and Domum growls to themselves. They look at the castle, their target, and their eyes narrow as they see a flash of dark blue disappearing into the castle. Rising to their feet, they look down at the teal blue area. Stepping forward, they stand still as they're shocked, the teal slowly turning to green.

She watches the intruder make their way across the mindscape, frowning as more of the teal is lost. She can't leave the castle, not until they're gone. She feels bad, she knows this isn't good for Mermista, but the intruder can't stay.


	4. Chapter 4

Spinnerella laughs as Netossa increases the speed in the skiff. Arriving at Plumeria, Spinnerella is surprised to see Sea Hawk, without Mermista near. She knows they've been working on not staying together all the time, giving each other space, but she hadn't thought they'd gotten this far. Spinnerella calls out to Sea Hawk. 

Sea Hawk smiles as she approaches. "Hey, Spinnerella. How're you?" 

"I'm good. Wasn't expecting to see you here, at least not by yourself." Spinnerella notes.

His eyes flicker towards a nearby cabin, as he shakes his head. "I'm not alone. Mermista is here."

"She came here, today?" Spinnerella doesn't hide the surprise in her voice. 

Sea Hawk chuckles. "We didn't know everyone would be here today. Otherwise, I don't think we would have come." His eyes flicker to the cabin again. "Not sure we should have, anyway. Mermista recover….prefers being near the sea."

Spinnerella catches his slip. "Recovers? What's wrong?" She heads towards the cabin, Sea Hawk following.

"Not entirely sure. But she's definitely not well." His voice drops to a whisper as they enter. Spinnerella holds back a gasp when she sees Mermista.

Mermistas' face is flushed red, sweat running down her face. She grimaces as she fidgets under the covers. Spinnerella touches Mermista, pulling her hand back quickly. "She has a fever. Has anyone checked up on her?" 

Sea Hawk shakes his head. "She hates showing weakness, you know that." Spinnerella nods. "I told her she should see someone, but I'm not going to make her do anything. That…" 

"No, of course not." Spinnerella murmurs. She understands. "Do you think she'd be opposed if I helped?" Sea Hawk cocks his head. "Helped with the fever, trying to get it down. Help watch over her, so you can get some sleep." 

"I don't think she'd mind." Sea Hawk says, slowly. "You...she's already opened up to you, told you things. But. The Alliance…" Mermista lets out a growl, fidgeting again. "Sorry, dear. The meeting is tonight, and I know she definitely doesn't want…" Sea Hawk glances at Mermista. "At least a couple of people out there to know, although she saw Catra earlier." 

"How'd that go?" Spinnerella was using her powers to find a cold breeze to blow against Mermista, who sighed when it hit her head. 

"I'm not sure Mermista knew who she was talking to. Nothing happened." Sea Hawk admits, covering a yawn.

"Rest, Sea Hawk. I'll watch over Mermista for now."

Netossa slips inside the cabin. "Spinny?" 

"Hi, darling." Spinnerella greets her. 

"Dang, she doesn't look good." Netossa approaches quietly. "Watching over her?" 

Spinnerella nods, leaning against Netossa. "She won't see a Healer. But I figured I could help." They glance over to where Sea Hawk is snoring. "Plus, he needed the sleep." 

Netossa leans down, kissing Spinnerella. "Yeah. I just came to remind you that the meeting is soon. Are you going to attend?" 

Spinnerella nods. "Yeah, I've missed too many lately. I'll be there soon." She watches Netossa leave, then turns her attention back to Mermista, looking into green eyes.

* * *

Domum grins as they look up at the castle. They look around at the mindscape. Everything that had been teal is now green. Domum tries to open the door, and it creaks open, slowly. They step into the castle, holding back a jump as the door slams shut behind them. The green starts streaking through the blue castle as Domum looks around, searching for the other voice. Not finding it, they go to climb the steps when they hear Spinnerella and Sea Hawk talking. They frown, Mermista is sick? They step back outside of the castle, to hear them better and Domum growls when they hear that the Alliance meeting is tonight. 

Domum smiles, maybe they can convince Mermista to confront the others, about how they'd abandoned her, when she'd always been there for them. They reach out, trying to connect to Mermista. 

Domum opens their eyes, seeing Spinnerella looking at them. 


	5. Chapter 5

Spinnerella blinks a few times, shoving down the fear and panic. This had happened before, right after the War, Mermistas' eyes had stayed green longer. She thinks it's because of whatever happened on the ship, but she's not sure. "Mermista?" 

Domum sits up, almost falling backwards again. They look at Spinnerella, cocking their head to the side. This one is the mother, comfort. They relax, and try to smile. 

Spinnerella speaks. "Mermista, are you ok?" Domum nods, then shrugs. Domum frowns as they realize they can't hear Mermista. "Ok. Mermista, you have a fever. I've been using my powers to try to help cool you off. Is it okay if I continue?" Spinnerella asks. 

_Fever? What's a fever? _Domum doesn't understand. "Fever...what?" Their voice is raspy.

"You're too hot, much hotter than you're supposed to be. We need to cool you down, now." Spinnerella explains. 

Domum still doesn't understand, but they're sure mother-comfort wouldn't hurt them. They nod, and as a cool breeze blows across their face, they realize what she had meant. They relax back into the bed, sighing with relief, eyes slipping closed.

Spinnerella breathes a sigh of relief as Mermista seems to go back to sleep. She turns to Sea Hawk, waking him up. 

"Sea Hawk!" Spinnerella whispers, keeping an eye on Mermista. "Sea Hawk!" 

He bolts upright, looking around, relaxing when he sees Mermista. "Hey, Spinnerella. Time for the meeting already?" 

Spinnerella shakes her head. "No, I…" She glances back at Mermista. "Something happened and I don't know if it's supposed to be a worry or not." Sea Hawk tilts his head. "Mermista...do her eyes... change?" 

"When she's stayed in mermaid form for too long, they can." His eyes narrow. "But that's not what you're asking, is it?"

"She woke up for a few minutes, her eyes were green, Sea Hawk. The same green…" Spinnerella trails off, shivering. 

"I...No, that hasn't happened since the War ended. Did she seem off to you?" Sea Hawk stands, resting a hand on Spinnerellas' shoulder. "Are you ok?" 

"I... think so. But it... I didn't like seeing it." 

"Maybe it'll be fine. We know Adora got rid of him, and Mermista hasn't done anything. We'll keep an eye on her, but it'll be fine." Sea Hawk says.

"Right. It'll be fine." Spinnerella repeats. 

* * *

Mermista groans as she opens her eyes. She raises a hand to her head, massaging it as she looks around. 

Mermista scrambles to her feet, looking around at green-streaked blue walls. This wasn't the cabin she'd fallen asleep in. She cracks open the door, looking outside at a green landscape. She goes to step outside when a voice booms, "It is not safe outside. Come back in." The voice is a familiar one, one Mermista almost remembers. She closes the door, staying inside the castle and starts investigating. 

Mermista avoids the pulsing green room, she doesn't know what it is, but it's wrong, it scares her. She finds a staircase and decides to go up the stairs. She notices, as she goes farther up, and up, and up some more, the green in the walls disappear. 

Arriving at the top of the stairs, Mermista takes a break. She realizes that she's not out of breath, although it seemed like she'd been walking up the stairs for a long time. 

Mermista looks around the space she is in, realizing she's on the roof of the castle. Surveying the surroundings, she realizes everything is green, except the castle she's standing on. 

Mermista doesn't recognize the surroundings and she doesn't understand how she got there. She searches her memories: she remembers arriving at Plumeria, she thinks she remembers talking to Catra. Her nails dig into the railing she's leaning against, and she takes a deep breath, trying to get rid of the anger. 

"Mermista. Welcome." A voice says from behind her. Mermista whirls around, seeing a woman standing on the roof with her. Mermista smiles with relief. 

"Pearl! You're okay."


	6. Chapter 6

"Pearl!" Mermista rushes into the taller womans' arms, relaxing as she breathes in the scent of salt air. "I was beginning to think…" Mermista trails off.

"Oh, Mist. No, I wouldn't reject you. The reason you're having trouble connecting to me is because of the intruder." Pearl says, a hand running through Mermistas' hair. 

"The intruder? What intruder?" Mermista asks, leaning into the hug.

"The voice you've been hearing? It doesn't belong here. At the moment, the intruder is stronger than I am. But you can help." Pearl guides Mermista to the window. "See the Pearl by the waterfall?"

"Yeah, I see it...wait, how can I see it? It looks far away." 

"This is your mind, Mist. You can do anything in here." Mermista nods, stifling a yawn. "See how the Pearl is green? I need you to touch the Pearl, that way it'll reconnect with you, and we can send the intruder away." 

"Just touch it? I can…" Mermista yawns. "I can do that." Mermista looks around. "Is there a bed in here?" 

Pearl shakes her head. "No, because at the moment, you can't sleep. Not here, not yet. It's not safe." 

Mermista frowns, but doesn't argue. Pearl has never steered her wrong before, she can't, not with their bond. "What'll touching the Pearl do?" 

"It'll turn back to the blue it's supposed to be. And you and I will be able to reconnect, like we're supposed to be." 

"Ok, I can...I can do that." Mermista yawns again. "Touch the Pearl. Reconnect. Sleep." 

"The sooner you go, the sooner we can fix this." Pearl guides Mermista to the door. "Remember, this is _your_ mind. You're in control here." Pearl watches as Mermista slowly walks down the steps. "Please, hurry." Pearl whispers. 

Mermista hurries down the stairs, pausing at the bottom to look around her. Spotting the Pearl to the left, she starts heading that way, slowing down as she starts yawning more and more. She trudges forward, the green slowly turning back to the teal it's supposed to be. Looking up, she groans, noticing that the Pearl doesn't look like it's any closer. She pauses, bending over to catch her breath, blinking as the ground sways in front of her.

Spinnerella frowns as Mermista twists and turns under the blankets, her breathing shallow. "Mermista, c'mon. You can beat whatever this thing is." Spinnerella brushes Mermistas' hair with one hand. 

Netossa walks up behind her. "Hey, Spinny. How is she?" 

Spinnerella shakes her head. "She hasn't woken up since. And her breathing is too shallow. I'm worried." She admits.

"Mermista is strong, she'll beat this." 

"If it was a regular illness, I'd agree. But I don't think it is, because of what happened...I'm considering having Entrapta look at her, just to make sure everything is ok." 

"Let's give her a bit longer before we tell the others, hmm?" 

Spinnerella sighs. " You're right, she hasn't been sick long. It's just, her eyes changed. To the green. And I'm worried it's from whatever happened on the ship." 

Netossa looks closer at Spinnerella. "Spinny. Have you slept yet?" Spinnerella looks away, ducking her head. 

"Spinnerella." They both jump as Sea Hawk speaks up. "Thanks for watching her, but it's my turn now. Go sleep." Spinnerella glances between Mermista, Sea Hawk and Netossa. "I'll wake you up if anything happens, promise." He adds. 

"C'mon, Spinny. We'll just go take a short nap." Netossa grabs Spinnerellas' hands, tugging gently on them. Spinnerella stands, following Netossa. 

"I...ok. But just for awhile." Spinnerella casts a glance back at Mermista, Sea Hawk standing guard, as they leave the cabin.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw/cw: asphyxiation.

Mermista stumbles again, heading towards the Pearl. The landscape sways in front of her, and she trips, falling to her knees. She blinks, wheezing as she struggles to stand up again. Remembering Pearls' words, she wonders if she can just ask her mind to teleport to the Pearl. She blinks again, ending up by a pool. Looking up, she sees the Pearl in the middle of the pool. She recoils, seeing that the water is bright green. 

Mermista realizes that, in order to get to the Pearl, she'd have to go into the water and she shakes her head.

"Princess, what are you doing?" Domum asks, approaching Mermista. 

"Oh, Voice."

"It's Domum." They correct. They tilt their head. "Are you ok, Princess?" 

"Domum." Mermista breathes out. "No, I'm not ok."

Pearls' voice booms over the mindscape, Domum wincing and covering their ears. "Leave! You don't belong! Leave!" 

"She's right, you know." Mermista says, looking up at Domum. "You can't stay." 

"Why not? I just want to help you, Princess, I'm not doing anything wrong!" Domum protests. 

Mermista shakes her head. "No, you can't stay. You're not helping, Domum, you're hurting. I, my body, can't handle you and Pearl and me." 

Domum shakes their head. "It did while you were Chipped! It can do it again." Domum moves in front of Mermista. 

"Because I wasn't actually part of that! I was trapped in the castle, unable to really do anything!"

Domum looks down at Mermista, tilting their head. "So, the body can only handle one of us at a time?" 

"My body can handle me and Pearl. Domum, you don't belong here, you never have." Mermista stands, stepping up to Domum. 

"You've lived for a few years." Domum says. They think about mother-comfort and Sea Hawk and the things they want to try. "I've never really had a body before." Their hand comes up, grabbing Mermista by the neck and squeezing as she claws at their hand. "I want to live, Mermista. If the body can't handle all of us, I'll just get rid of you." 

Mermista thrashes under the covers, twisting and turning. Sea Hawk jumps up from his chair, hurrying over to the bed to comfort her and hold her down. "Misty, it's ok, you're ok, please calm down dearest!" 

Mermista strains against his hold, slowly settling down. She wheezes, her breathing shallow. Spinnerella and Netossa run in. "Is she ok?" Spinnerella checks Mermista over, checking her head. 

Sea Hawk shook his head. "She just went crazy, thrashing, I thought she was going to hurts herself! How'd you guys know I was about to call for you?" 

Netossa chuckles. "Could hear you yelling." 

Spinnerella gasps, pulling her hand back from Mermistas' head. "She's getting hotter. We're going to have to call a Healer." 

"She won't be happy with that." Sea Hawk notes.

"No, but we can't help her. Her pulse is slowing down, too." Spinnerella glances at Netossa, nodding. Netossa nods back, heading outside to grab a Healer. Sea Hawk watches her leave, arms crossed, and frowns as he looks back at Spinnerella. "I know, I know, Sea Hawk. But I also know you know she'll get better quicker with a Healer."

"Yeah, but I'm definitely not looking forward to telling her that!" Sea Hawk groans, dropping back into his seat. "If she complains, it's your fault." 

"Whatever you say, Sea Hawk." Spinnerella hums, calling forward cold air to brush against Mermistas' head. 

"Hello." A voice calls from the cabin door. They glance at the door, surprised to see Micah there.

"Micah! What're you doing here?" Spinnerella asks, shooting a look at Sea Hawk as his hand hovers over his sword.

"Checking on Mermista. I do know some healing spells, and we thought it might be better if someone familiar checked her over." Micah says, moving to stand by Mermista. "Or, well. More familiar than a complete stranger, we have talked once or twice." He rubs his hands together, a light blue glow covering them. "What's her symptoms?" He starts at her feet, his hands hovering slowly above her body.

"She feels like she has a really high fever, I've tried to keep it down with cool air. Her breathing is shallow and getting shallower, her pulse is slow…." Spinnerella hesitates before adding, "And when she last woke up, her eyes were green, instead of her amber."

"Oh, that's not good." Micah nears her chest and the light blue glow flashes red, before returning to the blue. "Anything else?"

Sea Hawk speaks up. "She's been twisting and turning a lot, but I think that's it." 

Micah nods, frowning as his hands flash from blue to red to green and back, as they hover over her head. "Ok. This might take some doing, because it's something I haven't seen before...but there is a spell I can tweak to help. But I can't be distracted for any reason." 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw/cw: choking, I think that's it. 
> 
> Leave a comment if you like it!

Domum squeezes tighter around Mermistas' neck, ignoring the scratching at their arms. "I want to experience everything you have. The comfort, the love, the living. I want to live. And Prime taught me to go after what I want." Domum watches Mermistas' eyes close and they gently lay her down by the pool. "Don't worry. I'll make sure Salineas becomes the best kingdom. And Sea Hawk will know we love him. And I'll take revenge on the others for abandoning you. I am sorry that it's come to this." 

Spinnerella paces, watching Micah mutter over Mermista. She tenses, hearing Sea Hawk approach behind her, as Mermista thrashes again, scratches appearing on her arms. Micah grunts, "I'll need you to hold her down. Tight." 

Sea Hawk shakes his head even as he goes to her head. "You didn't say it would hurt her!" 

Spinnerella hurries over, leaning across Mermista to hold her arms down, while Netossa holds her legs down. "Sea Hawk, he's trying his best. Let him concentrate."

Sea Hawk frowns, tense, as Micah resumes muttering, hands glowing a dark blue over Mermistas' head. Eventually, Micah stops muttering, the dark blue glow switching back to a light blue. "Ok. I've done what I can for now. Let her rest tonight, we'll try to wake her up in an hour or so." 

"Try to wake her? What do you mean, try?" Sea Hawk almost growls out. 

Micah meets his eyes. "Mermista is sick and whatever she's fighting is bad, Sea Hawk. You know that. I cannot promise she'll wake up in an hour. She needs the rest to finish fighting. She is strong, and I believe she'll wake up, but I don't know when." 

Mermista sighs, shifting in the bed and Sea Hawk looks away from Micah. Spinnerella nods, "Thank you, Micah, for helping. Is there anything we need to do once she wakes up?" 

Micah shrugs. "I'll probably want to run another diagnostic on her, but otherwise, just keep an eye on her. I don't think anything will be wrong." 

Sea Hawk brushes a hair from Mermistas' face, then sighs, looking back at Micah. "Thanks. For helping. You'll keep it quiet, yeah?" 

Micah nods. "I will, I won't tell anyone." He slips out of the cabin, Netossa following after she glances at Spinnerella. 

Spinnerella sits next to Sea Hawk, watching him watch Mermista. "She is strong. She'll get over this, whatever it is."

Sea Hawk nods. "I know she's strong, but I don't like the fact she has to fight against this. She's done too much fighting, I just...she deserves to rest." 

"Do you want to rest, while I watch her?" Spinnerella offers.

Sea Hawk shakes his head. "No, I want to be close, awake, alert if...when she wakes up. Especially since if she's confused, she'll probably want me nearby." 

"Ok. Call if you need anything." Spinnerella slips out of the cabin, looking around and spotting Netossa and Micah a few feet off. She glances back at the cabin as she nears them. "He's probably not going to leave her side for a long time."

"Which might be a good thing." Micah states. "We'll need to keep a close eye on her. The diagnostic spell I ran? That flashed green? It doesn't do that. It normally will stay blue or flash red. I don't know what the green was." 

Spinnerella frowns. "Could it be an aftereffect of being Chipped? Mermista had stated that her Chipping was different than ours." 

"It's possible." Micah says, stroking his beard. "It might not be anything at all, I just wanted to let you two know. Especially if you continue to adopt her."

Spinnerella blushes as Netossa laughs. "Wha...adopt her? I haven't adopted her!"

"No, of course not." Micah agrees, exchanging a look with Netossa. "You just have lunch with her…"

"Listen to her…"

"Worry when she's sick…."

"Oh, I have adopted her, haven't I?" Spinnerella groans, putting her face in her hands.

"It's cute. Plus, she probably needs it." Micah says. "Oh, I'm getting called away. Uh, bye." He leaves.

"It is cute, how you didn't even realize you were adopting her." Netossa says, gently bumping Spinnerella.

"You could have warned me." 

Netossa shrugs. "It's good for her. And you. Plus, I wanted to see how long it was going to take you to realize it." 

They tense up as they hear a yell from the cabin. Turning back to the cabin, they see the door wide open and they hurry over to it, checking inside. Sea Hawk is laying on the floor, water dripping from him. "Sea Hawk!"


	9. Chapter 9

Spinnerella and Netossa rush over to Sea Hawk, checking him over. "Sea Hawk, are you okay?" 

Netossa helps Sea Hawk sit up, while Spinnerella checks him over.

"Mermista!" Sea Hawk chokes out. "Where's Mermista!?" 

Spinnerella shushes him, glancing over at the bed, seeing a shape on it. "It looks like she's asleep." 

He shakes his head. "No, check. Check. She attacked me, but it wasn't her. Her eyes." 

Spinnerella watches Sea Hawk, frowning and gets up, checking the bed. She gasps, "It's a pillow. Mermista is missing." 

Sea Hawk slumps in Netossas' arms. "It's ok, he's fine, I think he just fainted." Netossa reassures when she sees Spinnerellas' face. She helps him up into the bed, then leaves with Spinnerella. "You know, we're going to have to tell the others."

Spinnerella sighs. "Yeah, but I was hoping we wouldn't have to."

They call a meeting with all the Princesses. "Mermista is sick. And she's missing. We need to find her. Catra, Glimmer, you two stay here in case she comes back. The rest of us, let's split up, cover more ground." 

Glimmer frowns. "Wait, it makes more sense if I'm out with the search party, I can cover more ground easily." 

"Yes, but…it's not a good idea for Mermista to see you right now, especially since she's not in her right mind."

"Which just means it's even more important for me to be out there, helping!" Glimmer gestures at the forest.

"Fine, but try to see Mermista before she sees you." Spinnerella relents. "And. One last thing. Pay attention to her eyes." The Princesses murmur. "Her eyes have been... changing. So, just be careful, everyone."

They spend all day scouring the woods, looking high and low for Mermista. Eventually, they switch to shifts, taking turns calling out for her. Netossa checks on Sea Hawk during her breaks, making sure he's ok.

Spinnerella takes a break, away from the others, and thinks. If Mermista doesn't want to deal with the others, she might be purposefully avoiding any loud sounds. Glancing around, Spinnerella verifies there's no one near and slips even further away from them. She calls out softly, "Mermista? I'm alone now, are you close?" Hearing a groan, Spinnerella heads that way.

"Mermista?" Spinnerella calls out again, pushing through more trees. She glances back, realizing that she's far from the others now, she can barely hear them. Spinnerella spies Mermista sitting by a tree and slowly approaches. "Mermista, are you okay?" Mermista grunts in response, shrugging. "Is it okay if I sit down next to you?" Spinnerella waits for a response, but Mermista refuses to look at her. Spinnerella shrugs, sitting down a few feet away from Mermista. "Y'know, we've been missing you." 

"We?" Mermista rasps out.

"Yes, we. All of us, we've all been looking for you. Haven't you been hearing us?" 

Mermista laughs, shaking her head. "You're lying to me. Why?" 

"Why would you think I'm lying, Mermista?" Spinnerella watches her carefully.

"The others don't care about me, Spinnerella. You know that. They would have…" Mermista trails off, hands clenching. 

"They wouldn't be looking for you if they didn't care about you." 

"Stop lying, Spinnerella." Mermista stands up, whirling on Spinnerella, then waves unsteadily, almost losing her balance. 

Spinnerella stands up slowly. "Listen, Mermista. Can't you hear them?" She notes Mermistas' eyes are still closed. "Mermista, can you open your eyes for me?" 

Mermista shakes her head. "You know your hearing is better than ours, Ms. Wind Spinner." 

"Mermista, open your eyes. I just need to check something, I want to make sure it's safe for you to be out here."

"I don't want to open my eyes, the light hurts." Mermista crosses her arms, leaning against a tree. Spinnerella starts walking towards her, when Mermista continues. "Please don't make me open them, I don't want to fight you."


	10. Chapter 10

Domum opens their eyes, seeing Sea Hawk above them. They smile, then frown as they see Sea Hawk back away, shaking his head. "Sea Hawk, are you ok?" They reach out, frowning when he knocks their hand away. 

"Leave Mermista alone, Prime. You've done enough to her." 

Domum rolls their eyes. "I'm making Mermista better. She was scared, hiding her true feelings. All I'm doing is helping her." 

"You're lying." Sea Hawk whispers. He starts to leave the cabin, "Stay there while I get Micah. He'll fix you." 

"No!" Domum shouts, falling into a coughing fit. "You can't." They reach out, eyes wide as a burst of water attacks him, and he falls to the ground. Domum stumbles to their feet, checking that he's ok. "I can't let him look, not yet." They make it so it looks like they are still in the bed, then they slip out, staying in the shadows as they leave the site.

Domum stumbles, almost falling to the ground as pain pierced their head. Raising a hand to their head, they mutter to themselves. "She's still fighting back, of course she is. Stop fighting, Mermista. It won't work."

_Like hell I'll stop fighting. My body. My mind._

Domum realizes they don't know where they're going, completely lost in the woods. They settle down by a tree, wrapping their arms around their legs. "Stop it, I'm trying to help." 

They tense as they hear Spinnerella talk to them, making sure their eyes are closed. They'll have to fix that if they want to blend in. "Mermista, are you ok?" Domum grunts, shrugging their shoulders. "Is it okay if I sit by you?" Domum doesn't want Spinnerella there, she might pick up on the difference too soon, but they don't want to be alone. They hear Spinnerella settle down a few feet away and they force themselves to relax. "Y'know, we've been missing you." 

"We?" Domum rasps out. 

"Yes, we. All of us, we've all been looking for you. Haven't you been hearing us?"

Domum shakes their head. "You're lying to me, why?"

"Why would you think I'm lying, Mermista?"

"The others don't care about me, Spinnerella. You know that. If they cared, they would have…" Mermista says, trailing off as she clenches her hands.

"They wouldn't be looking for you if they didn't care about you."

"Stop lying, Spinnerella!" Domum shouts, standing up and whirling around, then pauses, unsteady on their feet.

They keep their eyes closed, refusing to look as they hear Spinnerella stand up. "Can't you hear them? Mermista, can you open your eyes for me?"

Domum shakes their head. "You know your hearing is better than ours, Ms. Wind Spinner."

"Mermista, open your eyes. I just need to check something, I want to make sure it's safe for you to be out here." They can hear the concern in her voice, but they can't do that, not even for her. 

Domum crosses their arms, leaning against a tree to keep from falling. "I don't want to open my eyes, the light hurts." Which isn't a lie, with how bad their head is pounding, the light would probably make it worse. They hear Spinnerella start walking slowly towards them. "Please don't make me open them, I don't want to fight you."

* * *

Mermista cracks open her eyes, groaning softly. She sits up slowly, noticing that Domum is nowhere around her. She can sense that Domum is in her body, in the physical world. Mermista studies the green pool, remembering Pearls' words: touch the Pearl, make it the blue it needs to be. 

Mermista senses her body move, and shouts at the sky. "You won't win, Domum. I won't let you."

There's a response, **Stop fighting, Mermista. It won't work.**

"Like hell I'll stop fighting. My body. My mind."

Mermista stands up slowly, stepping into the green pool. She winces when there's a spark of light, and is pleasantly surprised when there's no accompanying shock. She trudges forward, having to pause as there's a rumble in the sky, and the pounding in her head increases.

Mermista starts to walk forward again and stopping when she runs into Domum. "Stop it, I'm trying to help." They push Mermista back. 

Mermista pushes them back hard, surprised when Domum slips under the water. She hesitates, wondering, but shakes her head, starting to move again. She pauses when she hears Spinnerella talk about the others looking for her. "The others don't care, Spinnerella. If they did, they would have…" Mermista says, clenching her hands, as she realizes she's back in her body. 

Except she can feel Domum fighting, and Mermista feels herself slipping away again, Domum taking over her body. She can hear Spinnerella ask Domum to open their eyes, tensing as she hears Domum talk about fighting Spinnerella. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this chapter might have been a little confusing...it's supposed to be. Mermista and Domum are now fighting over who is going to be 'in control' of Mermistas' body. 
> 
> When Domum is in control, I'll be using 'they' for it.  
> When Mermista is in control, I'll be using 'she'.


	11. Chapter 11

"Mermista, Please. I just want to help you." Spinnerella says.

"Maybe I don't want your help." Domum snarls, before taking a deep breath. "You can help by leaving me alone. Please, just leave me alone." 

"I can't do that." Spinnerella says. "I'm sorry, Mermista, but I will drag you back if I need to." 

"You won't get the chance." Domum says, water blasting Spinnerella in the chest, and she flies back, hitting a tree. "I'm sorry, Spinnerella, but I can't, I need…" Domum turns and runs, getting lost. They slump down by a tree, hiding their face. 

"There you are, fish breath." A voice says. 

"Ha, as if you can talk, kitty. Go away." Mermista says.

"Can't." Catra shrugs, stepping closer. "We got the whole search party out for you. The pirate guy, he's going nuts. Need you to calm him down, c'mon." Catra starts to walk back to the site, stopping when she realizes Mermista isn't following. Her tail flicks as Catra groans, heading back. "Ok, why are you acting so...so not you?"

"Go away. Or you'll get hurt." Mermista warns. 

Catra snorts. "By who? You?" 

Domum springs up, a blast of water attacking Catra, hitting her in the chest and the face. Catra coughs, "What the...Why'd you do that?" 

"I warned you, you didn't listen. You're going to pay, cat." Domum snarls, sending out a whip of water that Catra dodges. 

Her eyes wide as she sees the water whip slice through the tree, Catra yelps. "I said I was sorry about Salineas, what are you doing?!" Catea gasps as she catches sight of Mermistas' eyes.

Domum continues attacking Catra, Catra refusing to retaliate until Domum stumbles, falling to their knees. "Mermista?" Catra approaches her slowly. 

"Catra?! No, I can't...tell the others to stay away, they need to, they can't." Mermista shakes her head, getting up and running away.

Catra starts to go after her, but hesitates. She won't be able to beat Mermista in a fight, she'll have to talk to the others. She pauses, ears flicking as she hears a groan. Following the sound, Catra is surprised to find Spinnerella on the ground. "You ok?" Catra offers a hand, pulling Spinnerella to her feet.

"Mermista is in fight or flight mode...and can't make up her mind. I think I got too close for comfort." 

"Yeah, I didn't realize how strong she was. She just attacked me, too. But I don't think it's her." Catra taps by her eyes. "Her eyes are green, something is going on." 

* * *

Mermista rests, wheezing. She can't see the others, not until she can get full control again. She tenses as she hears footsteps, Glimmer coming into view. 

"Mermista." Glimmer exclaims. "Are you ok, we've been looking all day for you."

"All of you need to stop lying." Mermista says, rubbing her head. "Don't come any closer." She warns, seeing Glimmer start to walk towards her. 

"I'm not lying. Wait, all of us, you've seen some of the others? In that case, why are you alone?" Glimmer asks, crossing her arms.

Mermista sighs. "They're somewhere, I don't know where. I left them behind." Mermista can't believe she'd attacked her friends again. 

"You didn't answer the question." Glimmer notes. Taking a step forward, she asks, "Why do you think we're lying when we say we've spent all day looking for you?" 

Mermista laughs, shaking her head as she stands. "Why would you look for me? You didn't when I was on... anyway, the point is I know you're lying." 

"Oh, you think we left you on Primes' ship on purpose, didn't look for you." Glimmer puts the pieces together. "Mermista, we were looking for you while you were on his ship." Glimmer teleports to avoid the jet of water. "We had eyes and ears out, but everytime we got close to where we thought you were, we'd lose track again." She avoids another jet. 

"You left me there, for..... I don't know how long. Do you know what he did to her?" Domum keeps attacking, ignoring their shaking arms. "Do you!?" 

"Who do you think gave you the memory stick!?" Glimmer shouts back. 

"The stick?" Domum pauses. "Oh, that. I saw your note, wondered why you left it. I fixed her memories, you know. She should not have gone through that." 

Glimmer hesitates, realizing that Mermistas' eyes are green, noting that she's talking in third person. "Once I saw a file, realized you thought I abandoned you, I thought you didn't want to hear from me again." 

"That's..what kind of logic is that? Oh, Mermista thinks I abandoned her to be tortured, I'm going to abandon her again? You are all idiots." Domum shouts. 

"You're right." Glimmer agrees. "It wasn't good logic. But by the time I realized that, I thought it'd be weirder to call out of the blue. And you hadn't seemed happy the last time we talked." 

Domum had not expected Glimmer to agree with them. "You could have sent me a message, or sent a note or something." Mermista points out, quietly. 

**Author's Note:**

> Ok. I'm opening up a bit of a mini-poll. What's on the memory stick is stuff that Mermista went through on the Ship, stuff not seen in the first book. 
> 
> Would you all be interested in a fic that delves into it, or not?


End file.
